Three Essex men, including a pensioner and an RAF sergeant, were involved in a drug dealing ring worth £1 million.

The trio, from all different areas of the county, supplied cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines across London and Essex.

RAF officer, David Corentin was stopped by investigators on the A13 and discovered more than £500,000 in bags.

This is how the drug ring was brought down by police.

Half a million pounds and a mobile phone

Jason Warner, 48, from Canvey Island (Image: NCA)

In October 2018, officers from the National Crime Agency identified Jason Warner, from Canvey Island, placing large bags into the vehicle Corentin was driving. The car was stopped and half a million pound was found.

An encrypted phone was also spotted and officers believe this was used to communicate with other members of the organised crime gang to avoid law enforcement detection.

Warner was detained 11 days later as he left the sheltered accommodation – where his mother's partner Dennis Jacobs, 71, lived – and found to be in possession of a quantity of cocaine.

Officers searched Jacobs’ flat, in Romford, and found 9.5kg of high-purity cocaine, 1.5kg of MDMA, 11kg of amphetamine and 26kg of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of more than £1 million.

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Approximately £120,000 was stashed in a safe and various cutting agents and a hydraulic press hidden in the bedroom cupboard were also recovered.

Corentin, 32 from Rainham, pleaded guilty to two counts of money laundering and was sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

Warner, 48, pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and three counts of money laundering and was sentenced to eight years and four months

Whereas Jacobs pleaded guilty to three counts of permitting his premises to be used for the production of a controlled substance and one count of money laundering and was sentenced to 12 months.

RAF sergeant David Corentin, 32, from Rainham, Essex (Image: NCA)

All three were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday (June 13) to a total of 11 years.

John Coles, head of the specialist operations unit at the NCA said: “Organised crime groups rely on professional enablers like Corentin, Warner and Jacobs to supply cocaine and other class A and B drugs across the UK. They are important links in the chain and disrupting their activities is a key priority for the NCA.

“Working with partners, we are stopping the violence and harm drug trafficking fuels, taking away revenue and profits from the criminals who use it to fund other illegal who seek to cause harm in our communities and ensure they face justice."